Already Ready
by laurzz
Summary: DannyLindsay. Season 4. 'His eyes met hers and she giggled. "Earth to Messer... What the hell is wrong with you? You've seen me dressed up before, Danny." "Nah," Danny silently shook his head slowly. "Not like this."
1. 1

**A/N: hi all! Hope you're all doing well! I come bearing new story gifts. Whilst I have literally about 10 different things I'm working on right now (honestly, I'm not joking!). I thought we'd post this one. It was inspired by Dan and Shay's song, Already Ready. If you haven't heard it, you should totally listen to it if that's your kind of jam! **

**Anyway I digress. Apparently inspiration hits in the gym nowadays and this came to me about two or three weeks ago. Maybe even longer. In fact, definitely longer! I couldn't work out how to end it as it was just turning into a monster. So I'm not. By no means will it be a new epic but I'm thinking ****three chapters. Maybe four depending. The first two are written and finished so yay! **

**Also. At the minute I'm _alluding_ M rated moments but not going into _too much _detail. Hope that's ok! **

**Anyway. Enough rambling from me. Hope you enjoy! **

_—-_

_Took you 20 minutes just to find a dress. Do you like the dress, i say yes... Green, red, yellow, blue, yeah, they're all just right on you. Don't worry, you look beautiful. Hair up, hair down. Another 20 minutes to get out the house. Call a cab and we jump in. Finally walk in, I'm already thinkin' bout leavin'. _

_-Already Ready, Dan and Shay_

—-

_Set after Snow Day (3x24) and amongst the first couple episodes of season 4. Basically pre Child's Play. _

_—-_

She could hear him flicking through the channels on her television out in the living room. She'd occasionally hear a sigh too and she couldn't help the little smirk that tugged at her lips. He hadn't ever seen this side to her before. Sure she wasn't high maintenance by any stretch of the imagination. Usually, if she could get away with it she'd do her hair nice and maybe apply some mascara. On the days where she was particularly tired she'd apply some concealer too. That was about it...

Normally, she would do anything to get out of these kind of events. She much preferred being a faceless person up in the crime lab, doing her thing. She wasn't a massive fan of the small talk with people she didn't know. Sure, she could do it, she could do it well in fact. She was charming, witty and loveable. Didn't mean she liked it though. She hadn't really paid much thought about going tonight. It hadn't been until Danny had asked her what time he should pick her up for that she realised she was going. That they were going... together.

If she was completely honest; she didn't even know what it was for. A benefit? Fundraiser maybe? She had no idea. What she did know was that she was excited to be going with Danny.

"Montana, seriously... what's takin' so long?" His voice was laced with frustration. He'd been at hers for at least a half an hour now and she could tell his patience was wearing thin.

"Two minutes!" She responded, hoping he knew to round it up to five... at least.

She spritzed her hair with a final douse of hairspray and took in her appearance in her bathroom mirror. She pursed her lips together and let out a breath. _This is the best you're gonna get, Linds._ She told herself. She glanced over her dress and nodded. _Good __choice_. She bent down and collected her shoes from the corner of the room where she'd dumped them earlier and slipped the heels on. She usually stuck to her heeled boots or flats but tonight called for her favourites. They were ridiculously expensive and ridiculously high. They weren't anything like she owned and they'd been a complete impulse buy.. But she loved them. It wasn't often she got dressed up so it was a nice excuse to dig them out.

She took in one last look of her appearance and smiled. She was ready.

—

Danny was rapidly losing the last ounce of patience he had. What the hell was she doing?! She'd told him to pick her up at six thirty and he had. Except it was now five minutes to seven and he just couldn't understand what she was doing! How long did it take to brush her hair and get changed? Spray a bit of perfume maybe? Brush her teeth? He glanced down at his watch again and rolled his eyes, fighting the urge to call out to her.

He let out a frustrated sigh and settled against the couch, flicking through the channels on her TV as he waited. He'd been a little bit surprised by her reaction when he'd asked her what time he should pick her up. It had been like she'd assumed they weren't going. Which, he supposed he could understand why. He hadn't brought it up to her but he'd just assumed. Assumed she'd wanna go? Assumed she'd want to go with him. When she asked him if he was going to be wearing a tuxedo and he'd nodded, albeit unhappily, her whole demeanour changed. After that tidbit of information she was seemingly on board.

If he was totally honest, he forgot what the whole thing was for. A benefit? Fundraiser? Something like that. He didn't really care. Rumour had spread through the lab earlier that there was a free bar and Danny wasn't against the idea of some drinks with his Montana on someone else's dime.

Although, he was sure that defeated the object of a fundraiser... he was also fairly positive that a certain Adam Ross had started said rumour. But he wasn't going to question either and simply hope for the best.

He tugged on his tie and wished he could take it off already. How the hell Flack and Mac spent their days and nights dressed in suits he would never know. _Give me a T-shirt any day of the week! _He mused to himself.

Finally losing his last bit of patience, he rolled his eyes. "Montana, seriously... what's takin' so long?"

"Two minutes!" She responded and he couldn't help but think, two minutes? _Try at least five! _

He heard one last blast from the can of hairspray he'd heard going for the last ten minutes and got some relief as he heard it being placed on the bathroom counter. Hallelujah!

He heard her shuffling around and began to hear the quiet clip-clop sounds of her shoes. Was she wearing heels? That could be interesting he'd thought.

He hadn't really thought much about what she'd be wearing. It was a black tie event so he guessed she was gonna dress up. Maybe, if he was lucky, she'd wear that dress again. The one she wore when she got called out on her night off. She'd come from somewhere. The opera maybe!? He couldn't remember; he just knew she looked _gorgeous_.

"I'm ready," he heard her voice before he saw her. He turned his head over the back of the couch and glanced into the direction of her hallway where her bedroom was. He could see her in the shadows of the dark apartment and began to stand. _Finally_! He thought.

He bent down to the coffee table and grabbed his keys and wallet, shoving them into his pocket. As he turned; he started laughing to himself "I got no idea why you told me to come over at six thirty Montana. What the hell were you-" His eyes finally registered on her. It wasn't a regular occurrence where he was lost for words. But right now? He was lost for words, thoughts and just about everything else inbetween.

Lindsay had caught his eye on her very first day. Something about her accent, her charm, her buck knife... whatever it had been, he'd noticed her: he'd seen her. Admired her. Could feel himself falling for her. He'd seen her in all sorts of different ways... tired, angry, heartbroken, elated; michehievious; sassy...

He had never seen her like this before.

"What do you think?" She asked as she slowly turned; letting him take in the view.

"I uh-" he rubbed his neck with his hand as he grappled to find something to say. "I uh, _wow_."

Her eyes widened in amusement as she let a little giggle bubble out of her. "Is that all you've got?" She questioned. "Wow?"

"For now?" He licked his lips, "yeah. I'll let you know when I come up with somethin' better."

"I suppose wow isn't that bad." She mused.

"Uh huh," He has his hand pressed to his chest and licked his lips,

She rolled her eyes as she grabbed her clutch bag, that had been resting on the edge of the couch. "What's the matter with you?!" She chastised him. "You've seen me in dresses before." She moved towards him, dropped her beg back onto the couch and placed her hands on his tie. She grabbed the knot and the length of it, readjusting it. She then patted it affectionately and smiled.

His eyes met hers and she giggled. "Earth to Messer... What the hell is wrong with you? You've seen me dressed up before, Danny."

"Nah," Danny silently shook his head slowly. "Not like this."

It was true, he had seen her in dresses before. He'd seen her in summer dresses... hell, she occasionally wore dresses to work. But she wore those with leggings. Those dresses were different. He hadn't seen her in a dress like _this_ before. His eyes didn't even know where to start in terms of taking her all in.

Her hair, as short as it now was, was styled in loose waves, framing her face. She'd done something with her eye makeup that meant her eyes were even more beautiful than usual. Darker too. Her cheeks were flushed with a soft hue and when the light hit her cheeks in a certain way, Danny was almost convinced that she was sparkling. Or maybe glowing? Glowing was a better way to describe her. She never really needed makeup and Danny was glad she didn't cake it on usually. However today? This? He made a mental note of filling their social calendar with black tie events because this? He could get used to it...

And that was just her face.

He hadn't really let his eyes explore other parts of her body yet as he didn't think he'd be able to keep himself in line. His eyes slowly made their way down from her face to her chest. First of all, it was strapless; something he'd never seen on her before. He had to say, he was a massive fan. It accentuated all of her assets perfectly. Yes, this dress? He was a big, big fan. It was black. She wasn't usually a black dress kind of girl, but damn did it work for her. And then... well, it left nothing to the imagination. It was fitted to her body perfectly. He could see every curve which he wasn't mad about. And it was _short_. If he himself could have designed a dress for her; he wouldn't have even thought of this. It was essentially all of his fantasies, rolled into a small piece of material, wrapped around his girlfriend's body.

As his eyes eventually got to her legs, they kept going and he felt a breath hitch in his throat when he finally saw those heels. They were black and had some red underneath. He wasn't really a shoe person... but these? He could get on board with them. They made her st least the same height as him and while he usually enjoyed being the tall, strong one... he quite liked the height on her. It was different:

Although, he had to stop himself laughing, the last time he'd seen heels that tall before, they'd been buried deep into someone's cranium; they'd literally been a murder weapon. He paused for a moment. _That's it_, he thought to himself, _she wants to kill me! Why else would she be dressed like this? _

He took a minute to take in the image of his girlfriend stood in front of him. He held a hand to his chest and let out a sigh.

Noticing his actions, Lindsay smiled to herself. Usually, she had to stand on her tiptoes to capture his lips in a kiss. Not tonight.

"This is dangerous." Danny whispered against her lips. "I uh, I don't think we can go."

She furrowed her brow in amusement as she checked her purse for her keys, wallet, lipstick and phone. "Dangerous? What the hell are you talking about! We're going to a fundraiser with the rest of the NYPD. I can't think of anywhere safer."

"Not what I meant." He shook his head as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. "You dressed like _that_ is dangerous."

"Oh," She said simply. If he looked closely, he felt like he could spot the signs of a smirk tugging at her lips. She knew exactly what she was doing!

"Come on," She said, "we better go or we'll be late."

Danny nodded silently, following her out of her apartment and shut the door behind him. He checked the door a couple of times before turning and placing a hand on the small of her back as he led her down the hallway.

"Listen, just so you know, the wait-" he trailed off for a minute as she turned to face him as they walked in sync to one another. "It was worth every second. You look...gorgeous."

A blush rose to Lindsay's cheeks as she smiled at his compliment. "You don't look too bad yourself, Messer."

He licked his lips as he pressed the button to the elevator. They hadn't even got there yet and he was already thinking about leaving. The elevator dinged and she headed on in front of him, giving him a view of her ass. Danny took a deep braatb as he followed her onto the lift. Oh yeah, he thought. Worth every second of the wait.

The only problem now... was trying to survive the evening.

—

The drive over had been torture. They'd stopped to pick up Adam on the way and he'd done nothing but blather on about some nonsensical crap that Danny had been desperately uninterested in. Lindsay, however, had taken great interest in what Adam had been saying. She'd essentially ignored Danny the whole way there.

Except, her hand. That hand was the root cause of Danny's tightening pants. She'd placed her hand on his knee initially. Fine, cool; whatever. _However_... the more Adam got enthralled with his story, the less attention he paid to what Danny and Lindsay were doing and so was completely oblivious when Lindsay's hand moved from Danny's knee to his thigh.

It had been ever so gradual but by the time they'd got to the venue, her hand was so high up on his thigh, she had nowhere else to go.

At one point he'd even leant over and whispered "minx" in her ear. That hadn't helped. At his words, she'd wiggled closer to him and he could feel every single part of her pressed against him.

Fortunately, or unfortunately in this case; it had been _then_ that he'd managed to work out that she wasn't wearing a bra.

Or any underwear for that matter.

Which led him to his current predicament. Despite the fact that they'd only just arrived. he glanced down at his watch and smirked. It was seven thirty two and he was already ready to go.

Adam had paid for the cab and had led the way up the stairs of the venue. Lindsay was following behind Adam, her hand encased tightly in Danny's. As she was mid way up the stairs, he squeezed her hand and pulled her back slightly, creating distance between her and Adam. He joined her on her step and brushed some hair from her face so he could get easy access to her ear.

"You let me know when you wanna go" His voice was gruff. "Cause right now, followin' you up these stairs and seein' you like this.. I'm ready to go."

Lindsay wiggled her eyebrows and squeezed his hand. "I didn't get al dressed up for no reason Messer, unfortunately for you, you're just going to have to watch me walk around, knowing I don't have any underwear on."

"I knew it!" He growled in her ear. "What gave me away?" He laughed nibbling her neck as they headed up the stairs together, him behind her, holding her close. "How did you know I'd worked it out?"

"Oh I don't know," her voice was playful, flirty. "Perhaps it was the look in your eyes, or the way you keep looking at me." She trailed off for a moment as she snaked one of her hands behind her. "Or maybe it was this." She said. Sneakily laying her hand over his bulge in his trousers. "Yeah I think it might have been this that gave you away."

"You need to be careful here Montana. I'm pretty sure I could get us both a written warning for what I wanna do to you right now."

Lindsay licked her lips as they flashed their invites at the door to the security guard. The room was full already. They absorbed their surroundings for a moment before Danny took her hand and led them to their assigned table. Mac had ensured they were all sat together and had "bought" a table for the team. Adam had already made it to the table and was joined by Hawkes. Flack and Stella

it wasn't lost on Danny how the eyes of his friends and coworkers were glued to both him and Lindsay. Sure they were holding hands and she was walking very close to him as he weaved in and out of the plumes of people. Surely it couldn't have been a surprise to them? Especially after they'd all found out about him going to Montana, courtesy of Flack They'd been flirting around the issue of them for years. And quite frankly, if none of them had realised that _this_ would eventually happen, then he had to question their abilities as trained detectives.

As they approached the table; Flack folded his arms over his chest and shook his head. "What?" Danny instantly barked. He was in no mood for his bullshit banter tonight. He just wanted to be at his or Lindsay's apartment... with her and _only_ her.

"He... I'm sorry... Messer actually let you leave the house like that Monroe?" Flack smirked. "Bet you thought all your christmasses had come at once, huh, Danno. Montana is lookin' fine. Didn't know you had it in you. Monroe."

"You're a real asshole, you know that?" Danny snapped. "Don't talk to her like that. Show a little respect Flack! She ain't a piece of ass." He grabbed Lindsay's hand and marched away from their coworkers. He led them to the bar and ordered Lindsay a large glass of wine and himself a beer. He'd positioned her at the bar so she was against it and he was stood behind her, protectively encasing her in a little bubble between himself and the counter. He learnt forward and brushed her hair out of his way. "I swear to god Lindsay: I'm dyin' right now. You're killin' me."

She craned her neck slightly and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Good." She smirked. "Means I'll get it good later." She then somehow slipped away from him and sauntered back to their friends with her wine. He watched her walk away from him initially before licking his lips.

Lindsay Monroe was going to be his cause of death, he was certain about it.

—

**And so; chapter 1. Hope you enjoyed. I don't know about you guys, but what I would have done to see even something remotely like that. And hey, it wouldn't have been that _out there. _How many times did Stella go to these kind of things?! **

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed! I also hope you return for the other chapters! **

**Thanks for reading - all thoughts are appreciated! **


	2. 2

**A/N: hello all! Me again! Hope you are all doing really well! I have another chapter here for you. I've been enjoying this little story so hope you guys have too! Lots of other things in the pipeline too! **

**A huge heartfelt thank you to all of you lovely people who reviewed the first chapter! It's so strange but even after all theee years the review notifications never fail to make my day so thank you for taking the time to do that! It means a lot! **

**Anyway: without further adieu, chapter two! Hope you enjoy! **

**———————**

_Wall to wall, way too many people. The noise, the crowd, I don't even see 'em. Cause I'm talking to you, you're talking to me, I'm not tryin' to be antisocial Everybody's probably wondering why we're standing in the corner all alone… Girl, you're so beautiful, yeah. You look good in the lights, but I wanna see you in the dark_

_-Already Ready, Dan Shay._

—————

She glanced over her shoulder and winked playfully at him. She knew this dress had been a good call. He couldn't take his eyes off her. She felt a wave of confidence flow though her as she moseyed back to the table and sat next to Flack. He turned to her and shook his head slowly.

"What?" She laughed, placing her wine glass on the table in front of her.

"Nothin'" Flack laughed.

"No no, go on… what's so funny?"

"I wasn't laughin'" Flack cocked his head to the side. "I just feel sorry for the poor guy."

"Who? Danny?" Lindsay furrowed her brow as she expertly crossed her legs. "Why?"

"Oh please, don't you act stupid. I know you're a smart, smart girl Linds. Wicked smart." Flack leant in closer. "_Too smart."_

"Too smart?" Lindsay huffed. "My smartass saves your ass everyday of the week. Without me, who's solving your cases Don Flack?"

"We both know I'm not talking about that."

"You've lost me in that case." She shrugged, taking hold of her glass and raising it to her lips.

"Allow me to navigate you back onto the path." Flack said, taking her glass from her and setting it back on the table. He moved closer to her and moved her head slightly so that she was looking at Danny who had been caught up in a conversation near the bar by one of the department officials. Lindsay's eyes fell on her boyfriend and she couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips.

"Okay; what are we looking at?" She finally broke the silence.

"Give it a minute." Flack said, his voice playful. He was still holding her head in place lightly. "Three, two- ah, there it is."

Before he'd got to one, they both watched Danny's eyes lock on Lindsay. It was only for a moment before he tore his eyes away from her again. "So he looked over at me… he's probably wonderin' why the hell you've got my head like this." She said as she moved away from him.

"Nah," Flack shook his head. "He can't take his eyes off you Monroe. He can't help himself. Look, see, he's lookin' again."

"So?" Lindsay laughed, "I am his girlfriend, surely it's not a crime to wanna look at me! Plus, he's probably bored of their conversation, you know how he is, Don."

"I do." Flack nodded. "But I also know you're the only, and I mean _only_ girlfriend Danny's _ever_ dressed up like that for. I also know you're the only girlfriend he's ever brought to one of these things."

"Well yeah, it's for employees." Lindsay rolled her eyes. "To my knowledge he hasn't dated a cop… unless you two have something you wanna share with the class?!" She joked. "I mean, I do sometimes wonder about your little bromance. I can't say I'd be surprised if you two had-"

"Alright, Alright." Flack nodded. "Yeah, that's cute… except, _everyone_ gets a plus one Linds."

"What?" She laughed. "No they don't."

"Oh, they don't?" Flack smirked. "Look around Linds. How many of these people do you _actually_ recognise?"

She glanced around. In a field so heavily dominated by men, she was surprised to see so many women at the function. She shifted in her seat.

"Told ya." He said simply.

"That doesn't mean anything!" Lindsay barked.

"It doesn't?" Flack shrugged, "how about I just give it a bit of context then… three years ago, Danny came to this very event. He was in the clothes he wore to work that day."

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "And?"

"Linds… it was a black tie then too… he was in jeans and his damn green T-shirt he loves so much."

"Alright." She rolled her eyes. "That doesn't mean anything, other than maybe he was a little sloppy."

"Alright." Flack nodded, "maybe it doesn't. I'll take that one. So, another question for ya. Why didn't Danny come last year?"

"I don't know." Lindsay laughed.

"Oh allow me to tell you... he was on a plane to Montana."

Lindsay rolled her eyes, "whatever Flack."

"Hey; not my fault if you don't like the facts. Okay another for ya... Two years ago when he was datin' that bimbo Cindy, she begged him to come. He refused. Didn't wanna hear about it. Not interested. Told her he wouldn't be caught dead here, over his dead body were his exact words." Flack paused. "Now I don't know about you Linds, but he don't look dead to me…"

Lindsay shook her head and took a sip of her wine. "I think you're reading into this a little too much, Flack."

"Tell me Linds, who suggested you guys come this year?"

Lindsay licked her lips. "Alright, what's your point?"

"No go on, tell me… who suggested you came?"

"Flack…"

"Linds…" his voice teased.

"Alright, fine… Danny," Lindsay rolled her eyes. "you happy?"

"And did you make him wear that?" He continued to press.

She sighed. "No…"

"So. We have two key parts to my story here. One," he held his index finger up to demonstrate, "Danny is dressed in a tuxedo. A tuxedo he sourced and put on of his own accord no less… and two," he held a second finger up, "he's here...with a date, with his girlfriend to be exact. You've got some magic fairy dust in that little bag of yours Linds… let me tell ya. The minute he drags you to the dance floor, you better request a change of name form from Mac 'cause you'll end up bein' Mrs Danny Messer. He don't dance for no one Lindsay. No one. I mean it. He wouldn't even dance with his own mother at his cousin's wedding last year."

"Okay, I'm done with this conversation now." She rolled her eyes as she pulled her cellphone out of her bag.

"Hey," He said, putting his hand over hers. "Listen; I just… I want you to know how big this is, Linds. He doesn't do this. He doesn't come to these things. He doesn't dress like _that_." Flack said. "I want you to understand how much he likes you because I know he ain't gonna tell you himself. This is a big thing, real big for him. He cares about you Linds. It's my job to make sure you know just how _much_ he cares."

"I know." Lindsay said softly. "I know how much he likes me. I know how much he cares."

Flack picked up his beer from the table and shook his head. "Kiddo? You've got no idea."

———————

Twenty minutes had passed since Flack had done his best to confuse the hell out of her. She'd put it down to the copious amounts of alcohol she was sure he'd consumed prior to arriving. He'd been talking in riddles and she just cast all the crap he'd been spouting to the side.

Except… maybe he was right? She had to wonder. He had made a lot of effort. Effort she knew he wouldn't usually make for something like this. This wasn't his scene. This wasn't _her_ scene. And yet? Here they were…

She stood, grabbing her bag and glass and headed towards him. He looked like he needed saving from the dinosaur that had taken him hostage.

She navigated her way through the crowd steadily, catching his eye as she was moving towards him. She could see him fighting the grin tugging at his lips.

"And you see son, that's why your grandfather was such a great man."

"Thanks sir; I appreciate that."

"Excuse me." Lindsay said, patting Danny on the arm. "Danny Messer?" She was putting her best country accent on.

"That'd be me." He smirked. "Danny Messer, how ya doin'?"

She fought the giggle begging to be released at his words. "Hi, I believe a Mac Taylor is looking for you. Can you come with me?"

"Sorry I… duty calls. Nice speakin' with you."

Danny grabbed Lindsay's hand and was off like a shot, he led them through the crowd quickly, chuckling as he did so.

"What the hell was that?" He laughed as he decided they were far enough away from the old guy who'd known his grandfather once upon a time. "The country accent?"

"Thought it'd throw him off." She shrugged. "You were lookin' like you needed rescuing."

"Oh god I did." He groaned. "He hadn't seen me since I was a teenager. Old friend of my Grandfather." He explained. "So what was Flack doin' to you earlier?"

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Proving a point."

"Oh yeah? What point?" Danny asked taking her things from her putting them on their table. He then linked his fingers through hers as he led them to the dance floor.

"A load of crap." She brushed it off."where are we going?" She asked as he led her onto the LED lit dance floor.

"I figured we could, ya know, dance a little."

She cocked her head to the side. "You? Dance?"

"Hey!" He protested. "What's so surprisin' about me dancin' Montana?!"

"Nothin'." She shrugged; wrapping her arms around his neck. "I just didn't take you for much of a dancer."

"Meh, I'm not." He said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "For you though I can make some exceptions." He pressed a kiss to her nose.

Lindsay pressed her chin to his chest as she peered over his shoulder. She locked eyes with Don Flack who raised his beer bottle in the air, while mouthing the words "_To the Messers,"_ at her whilst sporting a hefty grin on his face.

She ignored his antics and turned her face so that it was buried in Danny's neck. She took a moment to inhale his scent and sighed heavily as they swayed to the music together.

"You better be careful where you sigh there, Montana…" he warned.

"Why?" She giggled, "have I found a little sensitive spot?" She blew softly and laughed at his shudder. "I have!" She said brightly moving her face to look at him. "Who knew..:"

"Alright smartass… that's enough."

She relented and laid her head against his shoulder again. He moved one hand away from holding the small of her back and took one of her hands instead. He held her close as they moved in time to the music. She didn't really know the song, and she figured he didn't either but they had their own little rhythm they were both very happy with.

"This is nice." He said softly. "Gettin' dressed up, goin' out.. gettin' the chance to be boyfriend and girlfriend, you know?"

"Yeah." She nodded, sinking her teeth into her lip as she fought the warm feeling spreading through her. "Yeah I know. I'm glad we did this. Thanks for asking me to come.."

"I'm glad you wanted to come."

"I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else." She whispered. She didn't want to bring it up, but she couldn't help it. Curiosity was getting the better of her. "So I bet it's a bit different for you this year."

"I suppose so but what makes you say that?"

"Well, you know, your girlfriend being an employee too. I don't suppose you've had that with one of your dates before."

Danny pulled away from her slightly and cocked his head to the side; looking at her. "What the hell wss Flack sayin' to you, Montana?"

She shrugged.

"Well, just for the record. I ain't never brought a date to one of these things before."

"You've brought me." She pointed out.

"Yeah. You're my girlfriend." He said. "That's different. Listen, I don't know what he told you alright? He's a moron. What I will say is though… I like this, Linds. I like us, ya know?" He paused. "I'm happy." He let go of the small of her back and held their hands up in the air. She twirled around before retaking her position, as close as physically possible. "Whatever crap he tried fillin' your head with, just ignore him."

She studied him for a moment and sighed contently.

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight, Linds? Because you are… absolutely beautiful."

She giggled. "I think you mentioned it." She paused "perhaps briefly."

"Well allow me to bring it up again." He teased. "Remember what I said earlier, you let me know when you're ready to go because as much as I'm enjoyin' this i'd prefer seeing this gorgeous dress and those killer heels on my bedroom floor."

"That right?" She drawled in his ear. She laced her fingers through his short hair and pulled him close. "I didn't get all dressed up tonight just for you to undress me again."

"That's a lie." He smirked.

_Okay maybe it was_. She thought. _Maybe that was exactly why she'd gotten so dressed up_. Was it wrong of her to want to keep the night going though?

"Can we stay longer?" She batted her eyelashes.

"We can stay as long as you want." He nodded. "Just want you to know that once we leave, you better say bye to that dress."

Lindsay giggled.

"I'd tell you to say bye to your underwear too but considerin' you're not actually wearing any, it's be a little… pointless."

"I figured it'd make our job easier tonight."

"See, that's why we're such a good match." His tone was a mix of teasing and lust. "Efficient and practical. I like it."

They'd practically stopped dancing altogether now. As he stared at her, she felt the blush rising on her cheeks. "You're such a romantic." She laughed, despite herself. "I can't say I've ever had a lover describe me as efficient and practical." She paused. "I hope there's other adjectives in the mix too…"

"Oh I can think of a couple more." He licked his lips again, he looked around and she could see the glint in his eyes. "Wanna go have some fun?" He whispered. "Test out your theory and see if it makes it easier…"

"With you?" She murmured against his cheek before pressing a kiss to the area. "Always."

He took her hand and led her off the dance floor. Determined, he guided them through the room and headed for the foyer and restrooms. As they emerged into the quieter area, he glanced around.

"Danny…"

"Wait, wait, I'm a-" he saw a door open and dragged her after him. He held out his badge and flashed it at the employee who'd just appeared from the locked stairwell. "NYPD." Danny muttered as he dragged Lindsay through the door. "Official business." He said before shutting the door behind them.

"Okay well that wasn't an abuse of power." She deadpanned. "Danny what the-"

He cut her off by pinning her to the wall and sealing his lips to hers. He trailed kisses from her lips to her jaw, gradually working his way down to her neck and then back again. His hands were roaming all over her and if she was totally honest? She was loving every minute of it.

"I've wanted to do this since I first saw you in this dress." He whispered in her ear. "Do you have any idea how gorgeous you look tonight?"

"A little bit…" she said, cupping the bulge in his trousers. "I got a couple of clues here giving me a bit of confirmation."

"Stop bein' a smartass." He chastised her.

"Well shut up then." She smirked. Her fingers began work on his trousers. She unfastened the button and slid his zipper down. "Why'd you think i bypassed underwear tonight?" She implored. "Because I _like_ going commando? Or because I knew it'd drive you _crazy_?"

He shook his head with a grin plastered across his face. "Montana, I swear to god, you're gonna be the death of me."

"Good, that's what I'm goin' for." She bit her lip. He sealed his lips to hers as he pinned her against the wall. He wrapped his arms around her and she took the opportunity to wrap her legs around his waist.

"You're gonna have to be quiet." He warned her. "Lots of listenin' ears. You can't be screamin' like you normally do… you'll get us into trouble… or someone'll think I'm murderin' you!"

"Not promisin' anythin'," She drawled. "Now get to work Messer." She licked her lips. "Let's see how loud we can be without gettin' caught."

"Death of me." He muttered, shifting her dress up her thighs. "You're gonna be the absolute death of me."

——————-

"Hey, have you seen Danny and Lindsay?" Stella asked.

Flack laughed as he grabbed his bottle of beer and took a swig. "Oh yeah we've seen them." He glanced at Adam and Hawkes and smirked.

Stella laughed, "Okay… so you know where they are?"

"Yep." Flack laughed.

Stella rolled her eyes. "Look, this is a super fun game Don, but I wanna know where they are… I haven't seen them all night! I only got one glance at Danny in his tux and I'm definitely going to need a picture." She turned her attention to Hawkes and Adam. "Have either of you clowns got any idea?"

"Us?" Hawkes laughed. "No… no idea."

"Adam?" Stella questioned.

"Danny and Lindsay who?!" Adam coughed. "I know not of who you speak of."

"You guys!" She groaned. "Come on… I want a cute picture of them!"

"Well, I'd wait a little while before you dig your phone out." He smirked. "You see that service door over there?" Flack pointed to the other side of the venue.

"Yeah?"

"Well I saw him draggin' her over there about-" he glanced down at his watch, "ah, about fifteen minutes ago. I'd say you'll see them reappear in the next five to ten minutes… give or take. They way they've been droolin' all over each other I can't imagine it'll take very long.."

"Flack!" Stella scoffed. "They wouldn't even dream of… no, Lindaay wouldn't let him…"

"Stella, trust me… the day that boy met that girl he'd met his match. You think she's innocent..: please. I know for a fact they've defiled that locker room on more than one occasion. Plus, the things I've had to endure listenin' to…"

"Danny doesn't kiss and tell… and I can't imagine Lindsay does either."

"You'd be right about that:" Flack nodded. "You can't get shit outta either of them. Blood out of a stone comes to mind. Stupidly however, and I learnt quickly, but stupidly I used to hang out with them. We'd all crash at Danny's. Me in his spare room and her bunkin' with him. I think they thought I was asleep, let's put it that way."

Stella furrowed her brow.

"Believe it." Flack said, sipping his beer. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the door reopen. Emerging from the door were Danny and Lindsay. Danny's tie was cockeyed and Lindsay's hair was… well, it certainly wasn't looking as perfect as it had been fifteen minutes ago. In addition, Lindsay's lipstick was smudged and Danny was sporting a nice mauve on his own lips.

"Told ya!" Flack smirked.

Stella shook her head, disbelieving of Flack's theory. She headed towards Danny and Lindsay with a smirk on her face. As she reached them, Lindsay was affectionately fixing Danny's tie for him.

"So turns out your theory was right. It was much easier to-"

"-Hey you two!" Stella singsonged, interrupting Danny's whispering into Lindsay's ear. "I've been looking for you."

"You have?!" They both coughed.

"For how long?" Lindsay asked, smoothing down her hair.

"Where?!" Danny quickly added.

Stella cocked her head to the side before shaking her head. "Don't worry, Flack and I definitely didn't see you sneaking out of that stairwell." She laughed as she handed Danny a tissue a gestured for him to wipe the lipstick from his lips. "I just wanted to say hi and see you guys… I'll… I'll catch you both later. Danny I'm gonna need a picture of you in that tux… maybe even one of you together… preferably with your clothes on though." She winked at them before disappearing.

Danny and Lindsay shared a look, "Busted." He smirked.

"That's not funny." Lindsay shook her head. "Danny, it's not!"

"It's a little funny." He mused as he took her hand and led her back to the dance floor. For two people who hadn't ever really gone dancing before, they were finding themselves embracing it wholeheartedly.

"We should do this more often." It was in sync to one another. Word for word perfect. They both laughed.

"Jinx." They said again in unison.

"Stop!" Lindsay giggled. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "So you'd do this again?" She inquired. "Dancing?"

"With you?" He asked. "Sure. If you wanted to, I'd do anythin' for you, Montana."

She pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his lips. He twirled her around and she felt… different.

Did she love him? She wasn't sure, love was a big thing to be throwing around.

She'd had a boyfriend in college that she thought she'd loved. Puppy love maybe? But when they'd ended she'd been alright about it. She'd been under no illusions it'd last forever. Then a couple of years later she'd dated a guy she'd met in a bar after work one night. He'd been nice. Had she loved him? No. There'd been other boyfriends in and amongst. All of which she'd liked. But loved? Not quite. Not really. Something had always been missing.

Her eyes fell on Danny and she couldn't help but think. He caught her eye and winked playfully before pressing a kiss to her temple. She laid her head against his chest and exhaled softly. Love. Did she love him? She went through various things in her head. Okay, she liked him. She knew that much. She liked him a lot. She liked spending time with him. She liked it when they were assigned the same shift together. The same case was even better. She liked his ethics, albeit sometimes a little unconventional. She liked his banter. His generosity. His kindness. His humour.

She liked how he fought for what was right and hated injustice. She liked how brave and courageous he was. She did not like his insistence to throw himself from one building to the next to catch a suspect, but that was something she'd have to accept. She liked the fact he called her Montana. She liked how, when he was asleep, sometimes it looked like he was smiling. She liked how he'd press kisses to her forehead, nowadays uncaring if anyone was looking. She liked being with him, she liked eating breakfast, lunch and dinner with him. She liked getting coffee with him. She liked the fact that he challenged her. Made her do things she'd never do before. She liked that he kept her on her toes. He cared about her. Protected her. Looked after her.

She sighed. The verdict was in. She was falling in love with Danny Messer.

"You okay?" He whispered softly. "You gotta glazed look, Montana. Everythin' alright?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "Everything's perfect."

———————

**Thanks for checking out the update! As I said, hope you enjoyed it! Any thoughts are always appreciated! **


	3. 3

**A/N: hey guys! Happy new year! ****Hope the festive season has been a peaceful and happy one! I know mine certainly has! **

**Long story behind me not posting the final chapter to this one. It's been written and ready for months - however - I was just desperately unhappy with the ending. So I left it and figured when inspiration hit, I'd be back. So low and behold, inspiration has struck! I deleted the ending I had and voila! A finished story! Rare around these parts in Laurzzland! **

**Anyway. Enough explanations and ramblings! Hope you enjoy this final instalment! **

**—-—**

_We're halfway out the door; I can't wait anymore.  
_

_-Already Ready, Dan and Shay _

—-

"Three, two, one…" they all threw their heads back as they downed the shots in time to one another. Lindsay grabbed one of the limes first and bit into it. She held it in her teeth as she watched her friends and coworkers. Danny too was biting down into his lime but Adam and Hawkes? She had to take the lime out of her own mouth before she choked. Adam was stamping his feet and Hawkes was holding his nose.

"What the hell are you doing?" She implored. "It's tequila… not hydrochloric acid."

"Might as well be." Adam groaned as he slammed the shot glass on the bar. "Man that's gross."

"Tequila! Gross?" She spat. "What the hell is wrong with you? I thought you were into crazy drinks and the party life?"

"Not tequila." Adam shuddered. "Anything but the tequila:"

Lindsay shook her head as she took the shot glass from the bar and downed the remainder of his shot. "Lightweight." She teased.

Hawkes arched his eyebrow at Danny and smirked. "She always like this?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that with ya, Doc." He winked. "Nothing she does surprises me anymore."

Hawkes shook his head. "Come on Adam, let's go find some civilised conversation elsewhere."

"It was your idea to do shots!" Lindsay shouted after them as they retreated back to their table. She rolled her eyes as she turned back to Danny and gratefully accepted the wine glass he was handing her filled with her choice of drink for the evening. She smiled in thanks before taking a sip. He watched as she screwed her face up and shuddered."Hmm, I don't think tequila and wine mix all that well."

Danny laughed as he took a sip of his beer. "I can't imagine they do."

The night was passing by steadily and if Lindsay was completely honest, she was enjoying every moment. She was tightly wrapped in a little bubble that consisted of her, Danny and wine and she was embracing it wholeheartedly. Usually she'd feel reserved, especially around her colleagues. She didn't want to be the forefront of gossip. She didn't want people to have things to say about her love life. Nor did she want the attention.

But tonight? She'd gladly accept all of Danny's attention and she didn't care a single bit about what others had to say about them.

They'd been incredibly antisocial with the others all evening. But in her defence, she saw them all day everyday. Sure she saw Danny most days too… but that was different - she wanted to see Danny. Those other clowns? Not so much.

"Where's your mind, Montana?" Danny's voice cajoled her out of her daydream.

She smiled at him and shrugged. "Stuff."

"Oh yeah? What stuff?" He had his hand wrapped in hers as he led her to an empty table. He held a chair out for her and tucked her into the table once she'd sat down.

"How antisocial we've been." She began. "They're gonna give us so much crap on Monday."

"Let them." Danny shrugged. "We ain't datin' them."

She smiled.

"What else?" He asked.

"Nothing we haven't already said." She replied. "Just how much I like this. Us. I've had a really good time tonight. I've really enjoyed myself."

"Me too." Danny nodded, taking a sip of his beer.

She glanced around. The room, whilst still busy, was beginning to thin out. Mac had gone soon after he'd arrived- Lindsay had queried it and Danny had explained that he never really liked attending the events. After he lost Claire, it just wasn't the same for him… no matter what anyone said or did. He'd come, show his face, have a drink and then just as quietly as he'd arrived, he'd be gone again.

Her eyes fell on Stella and Hawkes who were attempting to learn some dance on the dance floor that was being modelled by an extremely drunk lab tech in the form of Adam Ross. He'd regret that tomorrow she mused.

Her eyes continued to scan the room. Flack was sat talking to a brunette. Lindsay craned her neck to see who it was. Her hair was cascading down her back and she was sure she recognised her.

"Who's Flack talking to?" She asked. "Wasn't he dating that Devon girl?"

"Think that's fizzlin' out." Danny shrugged. "She's a bit… well, I'd hardly say she's his usual type."

"Oh… and what is?"

"Tall, brunette, cop."

Lindsay laughed. "Well, hope he isn't too choosy. Don't think there's many options for him with that criteria."

"I don't know…" Danny mused. "I think he might have found himself someone who falls exactly into all three categories."

Just as Danny had spoken, Lindsay saw Flack's female companion. She had thrown her head back in laughter and Lindsay caught her profile. She slammed her hands on the table as she turned to Danny. "Detective Angell?! You're jokin'"

"Doesn't look like it to me." Danny shuffled closer to Lindsay. He rested his face against hers as they stared. They watched Flack and Angell for a moment before he turned to her. "Do you think we were like that?" He asked. "So obvious for everyone around to see?"

"Maybe… probably," She laughed as she thought about his question for a moment . "Yeah I think so."

Danny nodded contemplatively. He leant back in his chair and took a swig of his beer. "I hope it works out them. They deserve to be happy. If that's with each other then so be it." He looked towards Lindsay, "even if they're half as happy as us I'll be happy for them."

Lindsay caught his eyes. "Come on."

"What?"

"Let's go." She whispered despite the noise around them. "I want you to take me home now."

Danny glanced at her before grabbing his beer bottle and downing the rest of his drink. Clearly he did not need telling twice. Lindsay grabbed her glass and knocked back the last mouthful of wine before she accepted the hand he was offering her to help her stand. Once she'd stood, she placed her hand on his chest, steadying herself. She reached down and pulled her heels off of her feet, collecting the stilettos in her small hand.

At Danny's puzzled look she held them up. "I love these shoes but god do they hurt."

He shook his head as she padded barefoot next to him. He hadn't realised how much height the heels had given her- she was now considerably shorter. He gestured for her to go ahead of him and as she did he took her heels from her.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"I'll carry them." He said, collecting both of the shoes in one of his hands.

She smiled in thanks as they headed to the table that housed Flack and Angell. As they approached, Flack caught Danny's eye and smirked. "She finally given in?"

"Somethin' like that." Danny smirked. "Angell." He nodded at Flack's company.

"Messer." She returned before smiling at Lindsay "Hey, Linds." She took the image of them both in. "I didn't realise you two were here."

"They've been holed up in a corner by themselves playin' kissy face." Flack teased. "They've been all antisocial tonight."

"I think it's nice." Angell said, "Why mingle with morons when there's someone you actually wanna spend your time with?"

"And on that note…" Danny teased. "See ya later."

Lindsay waved goodbye as he whisked her off towards the door. They emerged onto the street and the chill of the early morning hours had hit them in full force. Lindsay led the way down the stairs down to the curb where they began the task in trying to hail a cab. He saw her shiver slightly and goosebumps cover her arms. He handed her the shoes he was holding for a minute. He then took his jacket off and draped it around her shoulders. "There ya go." He said as he took the shoes from her.

She grabbed the material and wrapped it around herself gratefully, touched by his sweet and thoughtful gesture. "Thanks."

Eventually a cab stopped by them and Danny held the door open for her. He reamed off his address and he was beyond glad that they were finally leaving. Once they were in the midst of traffic, he let out a sigh. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arm around her. His other free hand sat protectively on her knee and he made a point of occasionally running his thumb up and down her thigh.

"I know what you're doing." She turned to look at him before she buried her head into the crook of his neck.

"And what's that?" He mused.

"Revenge." She whispered before a yawn escaped. "For how I was on the way here."

"Got no idea what you're talking about Montana." No sooner had he illuded to not knowing what she was talking about; his hand completely left her knee and his fingers were grazing the inner part of her thigh tortuously.

"Danny." She whispered through gritted teeth. He looked at her and her eyes shifted to the taxi driver in the front seat.

"Don't worry, he ain't gonna get an ALS light out."

"Danny," she growled.

He buried his face in her hair, positioning his mouth next to her ear. "Montana, shut up a minute." He pressed a kiss to her cheek and then to her temple. Whilst he wanted to tear her clothes off her and devour her, he knew they'd experimented with some boundaries tonight. Any further and he figured it might be a little too far - for the both of them.

Sensing the change in him, she snuggled into his embrace and laid her head on his shoulder. Her fingers searched for his free hand and she quickly laced their fingers together.

"Tonight was fun." She said softly. "Thanks for taking me, I had a really good time." She turned her head so she was looking at him. "I know this is new territory for you. It's new territory for me too but I.. I really enjoyed it. I want you to know that."

"Me too." He nodded, trailing his fingers up and down her arm. He felt her yawn against him again and he pressed another kiss to her temple. "Listen, I know I sometimes suck at letting you know how I'm feeling and sometimes I'm a pain in the ass but I really like where we're headed Linds. I've never felt like this for anyone else before and I-" at the lack of a response from her, he glanced down and a small smile stretched across his face. Her eyes were shut and a cute little smile was stretched across her face. Her breaths were soft and steady. He'd never seen her fall asleep so quickly before.

A part of him thanked whoever it was above that she'd not heard him. It wasn't that he didn't mean it, because he did, but the liquid courage he'd had had made him slightly too confident. He meant it - he really did. He just didn't know how he felt about her knowing how strongly he felt about her… yet. He'd tell her; when the time was right. Now wasn't the right time though. He wasn't sure when the right time to tell her would be, but he figured that when the time was right; he'd just know.

He watched as she shifted slightly in her position, resting on him. He felt her squeeze his hand ever so slightly and heard her whisper his name, despite being asleep.

As strongly as he felt for her, he was quite happy to just hold her, enjoy her and keep her as close as he possibly could without letting her slip away. It had taken them so long to get this point; he'd do anything he could to keep her. He knew she was more than he deserved. He knew she was something special. He knew she was everything he could ever possibly want and probably more. He also knew he was already in love with Lindsay Monroe.

And whilst it scared him, he wouldn't have it any other way.

—-

**And there we have it! Another completed story! Hope you enjoyed the final chapter. thanks for reading! **


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